Mildred on sun 15 aug 10
My husband and I do a little bit of Raku firing and always have a =3D
"discussion" as to when to close the lid on a luster firing and the =3D
advantage of throwing soaking wet towels over the cans once the lids are =
=3D
in place. We manage the white crackle with fewer discussions (and with =3D
more consistant results) but the lusters present different problems. If =
=3D
any of you Raku "mavens" could point us in a direction, it would be most =
=3D
appreciated.....Mildred Herot (Hollow Tree Pottery)
paul gerhold on mon 16 aug 10
Mildred
My experience after about 30 years of lustre firing in Raku says the the
faster the piece gets into the reduction chamber and the faster the chamber
is closed the better the reduction. This will usually make scrubbing harde=
r
but the faster the pot gets into reduction the better for the life of the
lustre on the pot. Air will get into the reduction chamber no matter what
you do so wet towels will make no difference to the reduction. Moisture in
the reducing material can have an effect however.
Best reduction will be in deep container with absolutely no air leakage in
the bottom. Crackle and lustre in the same piece is difficult because the
thermal shock that helps to develop crackle also cools the pot making the
lustre less deep and more fleeting.
Paul
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